This Week in Africa

May 31, 2024

Check out our South African election overview. Here is the week in Africa:

Quote of the week

“I don’t want to vote because my vote isn’t going to count. At the end of the day, the ruling party is still going to be A.N.C. There’s still no change.” 23-year-old Shaylin Davids

South Africa’s election

South Africans voted on Wednesday, and David Pilling calls it what it is: The era of ANC dominance is over. Learn more in our Overview of South Africa’s 2024 elections. Early results show that the ANC has lost its governing majority, forcing it to attempt to form a coalition with other parties. The ANC is on pace to secure 44 percent of the votes. South Africans might be disillusioned with democracy, but they went to the polls to make their voices heard. Justice Malala argues that the results signal a normalization process. Sean Jacobs’ explains the undoing: from protest to power.

Stears’ Election Portal has more.

UAE’s influence in Africa

United Arab Emirates is expanding its presence across Africa. They even provided the private jet that transported William Ruto from Kenya to the US (there is a vibrant debate about the plane). The impact is not all good: they are also fueling Sudan’s war. Check out Ken Opalo’s earlier writing on the topic.

Sudan’s civil war

Killing, torture, and famine shape everyday life in Sudan. At least 123 people were recently killed in el-Fasher. This video and these graphics show the devastation. The city shifted from a safe haven to the center of killing.

From hunger to death.

Tinubu’s first year

Bola Tinubu’s austerity policies are unable to solve Nigeria’s economic challenges. It has not been a great first year for Tinubu. This is how the economy failed. CSIS explains Nigeria’s evolving outlook.

Kenya’s US State visit

Kenya seeks to be a voice for Africa on the world stage. This is why the US needs Kenya. Washington completes the Disneyification of William Ruto. Does William Ruto’s clean energy ambitions give him a pass on his violent past? Is it a new military era for the US and Kenya?

Regional integration

This report outlines how to foster investment and inclusivity in the African Continental Free Trade Area. Africa’s regional blocs have benefited regional elites but not much more. M.W. Muiru argues that embracing inter-African trade has accelerated economic growth. What if the East African community countries were siblings?

Struggle for rights and freedom

Rwanda’s “influence machine” keeps growing. Criticism is not welcome in the country. A huge illegal monkey seizure reveals a vast trafficking ring in the DR Congo. Ghana’s Supreme Court is televising its proceedings on the anti-LGBTQ+ bill that was passed by Parliament. The EU partners with Kenya to prosecute maritime crime. Learn more about the splintering of Boko Haram.

Who was behind DR Congo’s attempted coup? What is a secular state? Will the US protect Congolese immigrants in the US? What is next for Russia after Wagner?

Challenges of democratization

These are five worrying signs about poor quality in upcoming elections. Burkina Faso extends military rule by five years. Zimbabwe’s president to stay in power. Women’s participation in Ugandan politics is mostly cosmetic. Politics is expensive in Liberia. Learn more about the deadly prelude to South Africa’s first election.

Nic Cheeseman asks (and answers): What do we know about the public’s convictions across Africa after 25 years?

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Kenya’s government has demolished the homes of hundreds of people in its informal settlements. Informal settlement evictions are popular but damaging.  Images like these are far too common.

Ivan Turok explains the challenge of affordable housing in South Africa. Ghanaian politicians continue to promise – and fail – to end Accra’s floods. Garbage is choking Uganda’s small cities and towns. Climate change and rapid urbanization has worsened the impact of East Africa’s rains. El Niño is not to blame. Boda Boda signposts in Uganda face resistance. This is a neat article about wetland gentrification.

River. People. Place.

Research corner

Learn more about resource distribution under devolved government in northern Kenya. This article examines the social worlds of African migrants moving northward. This article assesses the effects of social protection and formalization in low- and middle-income countries. This article examines the involvement of international conservationists in the newly independent DR Congo, and how it led to the institutionalization of a repressive conservation regime.

Filip Reyntjens’ Modern Rwanda: A Political History is out soon. And this is a great special issue on moral economies of capitalism in Africa.

The week in development

Africa’s high fashion seeks a global audience. OPEC+ woos African producers for a greater market share. And the Global Reach of UNDP.

Mining and extraction

Countries are rushing to Africa to extract critical minerals. Africa holds a very high share of global critical mineral supply. Learn more about resource nationalism in the age of green industrialization. This report addresses South Africa’s illicit copper economy. China is back in Africa and doubling down on minerals. What are the South Africans really doing in eastern DR Congo?

Africa and the environment

Flood risks depend on the management of Tanzania’s dams. Climate change could increase the spread of diseases. Southern Africa is the worst hit by climate change. US and Ghana advance agreements over producing clean nuclear energy.

Daily life

An Afrobeats playlist. Bridging black worlds: South Africa and the United States. The great kora player Sona Jobarteh. Intrigue and wonder in a surreal Zaire.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil